Sport

Britain win Irish leg of Nations’ Cup in Ballindenisk

Irish team member Joseph Murphy finished sixth in individual competition on Sunday

The Irish leg of the FEI Nations Cup commenced in Cork over the weekend. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
The Irish leg of the FEI Nations Cup commenced in Cork over the weekend. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho
Mon Apr 25 2016 - 09:09

Britain won the Irish leg of the FEI eventing CIC3* Nations’ Cup series as it concluded on Sunday in Ballindenisk, Co Cork.

Taking the best three penalty scores of the four riders, Oliver Townend (Cooley SRS), Franky Reid-Warrilow (Dolley Whisper), Wills Oakden (Merikano) and Izzy Taylor (Briarlands Bedding), the British squad completed on a total of 162.8. Ireland filled second place on 182.5, narrowly ahead of France on 184.4.

Irish team member Joseph Murphy (Sportsfield Othello) finished sixth on 55.1 penalties in the individual CIC3* competition won by Britain’s Pippa Funnell riding Mirage d’Elle (46.8). Townend, who placed second with Coolry SRS (48.7), won the CIC2* class with another of his many Irish-bred horses, Ballaghmor Class.

Two Cork riders, Jodie O’Keeffe (Reenmore Duke) and Brian Morrison (Ballymolloy Rogan), topped the leaderboard in the CCI* class on their respective penalty scores of 38.5 and 40.7. Best of the British here was Camilla Hope who completed in third place (45.9) on the Irish-bred Fernhill For Sure. The pony class was won by Kildare’s Zara Nelson with Millridge Buachaill Bui.

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Competition continues at the Cork venue today in the CCI classes where the leaders are Funnell on Billy The Biz (three-star), Sweden’s Ludwig Svennerstal with Paramount Importance (two-star) and Oakden riding Ballbreaker SD (one-star).

In show jumping, Waterford-born Anthony Condon and John and Lisa Hales’s stallion Aristio continued their recent run of excellent results with a win in Sunday’s two-star Grand Prix at Eschweiler in Germany. The combination have been named in the Irish squad for Friday’s opening round of the Furusiyya Nations’ Cup series at Lummen in Belgium where they will be joined by Bertram Allen (Molly Malone V), Greg Broderick (MHS Going Global), Denis Lynch (All Star 5) and Cian O’Connor (Good Luck).

At home, the first Horseware/TRM Premier Grand Prix of the season, held on Sunday at Louth County show in Dromiskin, saw a comprehensive victory for Deane Rogan riding LSF Showjumpers’ Falco Van Spieveld.

Eighteen affiliated groups of Horse Sport Ireland, the governing body of equestrian sports throughout the country, will be represented on Tuesday in a parade at the Irish National Hunt Festival in Punchestown racecourse. The parade, which will also include examples of two rare breeds, is due to start at 2.15pm.